Interview
David-Dohyung Kim
Director, Global Brand Management
HUAWEI, CONSTANTLY REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY Ushering in new waves of technological development By Agha Akbar Profit: What has taken Huawei so long to become the brand it has? What is your take on Huawei? Kindly acquaint us in broad brushstrokes the phenomenon beyond handsets? David Kim: Huawei’s humble foundations were laid down by Ren Zhenfei – a 44-year old Chinese technology veteran in 1987 in the telecom equipment market. Over the years, the company grew and went from one strength to another making inroads in the fields of consumer, enterprise and carrier technology. Huawei ventured into research and development in 1990 and strived to transform fully into a technology company. Within two years, Huawei had created its first SPC Digital Switch product, C&C08, a milestone in the company’s history which turned around the small-scale development dilemma, paving the way for the large-scale development it sees today. Huawei has been, is, and will always be committed to building a better-connected world. Talking of consumer technology, Huawei is on its way to become a leading global technology company. On the handsets front, the company prides itself in producing innovative, premium and reliable products that have led us to climbing ranks in Interbrand's 2016 Best Global Brands Report, moving up from its ranking in 2015 and standing at 72.
It also ranks 49th on the latest BrandZ list of Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands with brand awareness increasing from 76% to 81%, meaning at least eight out of 10 consumers in the world know and recognize Huawei, while it is ranked at 88 in the Forbes world’s most valuable brands. According to an Ipsos survey, Huawei products come out on top in Net Promoter Score (NPS) rating in the Greater China Region and its NPS rating outside China has also improved significantly. The brand is becoming more widely known and loved. From top 500 to top 100 corporations worldwide, Huawei keeps challenging itself and promoting the progress of communication for all mankind. Our target is to survive in the long run. Profit: Was Huawei’s planned signing with AT&T being aborted a kind of setback in having its say in the US market? DK: As announced during CES, Huawei‘s latest flagship smartphone, the Huawei Mate 10 Pro, will be sold in the US through open retail channels. The product will be available via major electronics retailers including B&H, Amazon, Best Buy, the Microsoft Store and Newegg. In the few months since its official launch, the Huawei Mate 10 Series has gained the love of global consumers outside the U.S. market. With its superior speed, long-lasting battery and phenomenal dual camera, the Mate 10 Series is redefining
what consumers expect from a smartphone, and has been highly lauded by tech experts and media outlets both in the US and around the world. We have the strongest confidence in our products and will continue to innovate and break new ground. At the same time, we believe that US consumers deserve equal opportunities to enjoy the best technology and more smartphone options through more channels, just like other satisfied HUAWEI users around the world. At Huawei, privacy and security are always our first priority. We are compliant with the world's most stringent privacy protection frameworks, including all GAPP and GDPR privacy protection requirements. We have gained the trust of over 150 million customers in the past year alone, and now sell our devices through more than 45 of the top 50 global carriers. Profit: Huawei has always produced quality phones – at par with flagships of other brands, but only way cheaper. That meant the ability was there, yet, in the mould of a wide array of Chinese products, it did not gun for establishing its own persona, its own brand. Why not, and why now? DK: Huawei under the garb of an important carrier partner, forayed into the mobile phone industry in 2003 in the production of OEM mobile phones. The initial model was quite simple as HUAWEI provided prod-
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